As a Finnish National Research Institute, Turku PET Centre led by Professor J. Knuuti, promotes the use of PET in the medical research field. The Centre was founded in 1974 by the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University and the Turku University Hospital. The Centre integrates top scientific expertise with excellent facilities and equipments. Fruitful interaction and collaboration between basic scientists and clinical investigators is a long-standing tradition.

The latest imaging technology is available, some unique in Europe. The Centre provides several tracers for routine and research clinical imaging in Oncology, Neurology and Cardiology, using the Europe's first 64 slices PET/CT system. With its excellent cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratories, Turku PET Centre develops and produces the latest PET tracers for clinical imaging.

Male – 67 years old

Risk factors family history: Hypercholesterolemia
Couple of months ago stable exercise associated angina that has been getting gradually somewhat more severe. Practices quite much exercise in daily life. Recently, CCS II-III symptoms. Exercise capacity normal but after severe chest pain with st-depressions

Scanner: GE Discovery VCT

CT Findings:

Severe ruptured plaque in left main stem. LAD and LCX distal calcified plaques but not clear stenosis. Distally in the left vessels no significant stenoses.

RCA calcified plaques and significant distal stenosis.

PET Findings:

Myocardial relative stress perfusion was homogenous (left image) but absolute perfusion measured as ml/g/min was very low in all myocardial regions (1.0-1.3 ml/g/min). Perfusion was analyzed using CARIMAS Turku software.

Two days later coronary bypass operation LITA-LAD and AO-LPL.

This case shows that quantification of myocardial perfusion in absolute terms gives important additional information. In this case with balanced three-vessel coronary disease analysis of relative perfusion failed to detect any abnormalities. However, severe reduction in all vessel regions were detected in quantitative assessment of myocardial perfusion.